5. Language barrier and activities

[August 2015]
Not without a reason have I out together the aspects included in the title. Especially in the first weeks of an exchange program, they are tightly associated with one another. 

A lot of people have been telling me that my English is very good. Yeah, to be honest, even before going abroad my language was good enough to speak it more or less fluently, and to understand most of it when watching movies, reading books, or talking to others - in English. 

Facing up the same language spoken by natives is a little bit of a confusion. The first impression is that they speak fast, and I can't understand a word. Plus, the vocabulary they use is slightly different from the one I've been taught in school. It's the jargon, but it's also a sensitive difference between British English and American English. 

That's why I can't understand what a 'refrigerator' is ('fridge' is so much easier to say!), or in which part of the house I can find a 'couch', or what exactly my host mom is up to when she says she's going to get 'groceries'. Or, I'm asked to pick up something that's laying by a 'stove' - do they mean a cooker?

Wanting badly to remain nice for my host family and all the people I'm meeting, I hardly refuse anything. I take part in all more and less exciting activities they organize, including going to a store, visiting town, visiting the family's friends, or just hanging around outside. 

The thing is, a lot of times I don't even know what I'm signing myself for. 

Just the next day after my arrival, so in fact my first day in the U.S., I'm asked whether I would like to go. I don't know where, all I've figured is that we're going somewhere nearby. It surely won't take long.

I spend the next three hours sitting on a bench and watching a softball practice my host dad participates in. The weather is super hot, and I struggle finding any shade. Fortunately, I discover water fountains, the famous American water fountains that provide water in public places for free. That helps me survive.

At the beginning I'm pretty excited. Softball reminds me of baseball, a sport I would love to at least try someday, and I remember to extract as much from the moment as I can. So I watch the game, listen to people, try to understand and learn as much as I'm able to. After some time, however, I get bored, and I don't know how much longer we're going to be here. I didn't take my phone (a real struggle, hey?), but there's couple stores nearby which I can visit and check out. When I get hungry and ensure that we're not going home yet, I go to Taco Bell. 

Man, they add taxes to the final price! I'm confused when I get a burrito for 1,99 and pay 2,15. My host parents later explain this to me, being surprised themselves when I tell them that in Poland we have the taxes included in goods' prices. 

Another day we go for a trip to North Bend, what takes more than an hour to drive one-way. Again, this is not what I have expected, thought this time I took a smal backpack with my entertainment kit, including a book, phone, and some money in case of shopping. 

Having been used to careful planning and knowing exactly what me and others are up to, here I'm learning to go for the unexpected. It feels great, in fact. It enhances my feeling of freedom, not knowing where I'm going, now knowing when we will be back home, not knowing what to expect, and just savoring the moment. 

Also, my unwillingness for refusal and and eagerness to 'go for it' is again something I repeat often - widening my intellectual horizons (and geographical as well). I'm trying and learning new things and activities, and meeting a lot of new people.